Trying For A Baby? Eat This

No one wants to hear their swimmers aren't moving as well as they'd like. But new evidence suggest you can change that with what you're ingesting.

New research conducted by the Human Nutrition Unit of the Universitat Rovira I Virgil, found "the inclusion of nuts in a regular diet significantly improves the quality and function of human sperm."

During a 14-week randomised clinical trial, 119 healthy men aged between 18 and 35 were asked to stick to either a western-style diet supplemented with 60grams a day of mixed almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts or go about their eating habits as they usually would without nuts.

Sperm and blood samples were examined at the start and after 14 weeks.

Results were obvious: participants who followed the diet including nuts saw significant improvements in their sperm count, vitality and motility.

Sperm count rose by around 16 per cent, while sperm vitality increased by 4 per cent and sperm motility, 6 per cent.

"Based solely on the results of this study. But evidence is accumulating in the literature that healthy lifestyle changes such as following a healthy dietary pattern might help conception -- and of course, nuts are a key component of a Mediterranean healthy diet," says Dr. Albert Salas-Huetos from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgil.

However, Salas-Huetos also notes that nuts might not help with any underlying problems nor is it their enough evidence to suggest it can help couples who are trying with IVF. He also reiterates that the subjects of the study were all healthy and fertile.